The elections to the State Duma of Russia took place from September 18 to 20. The EU stated that it does not recognize either the voting held in the occupied Ukrainian territories or its results. This concerns the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine. In the EU's statement, the holding of Russian elections there is described as a violation of international law, including the UN Charter, as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. ### Who may be subject to sanctions According to the statement, restrictive measures are planned to be applied to those who participated in organizing the voting or ran as candidates in the occupied territories. In addition, sanctions are provided against individuals whom the EU considers responsible for undermining the possibility of conducting free and fair elections within Russia itself. Specific names have not yet been mentioned in the published statement. ### The EU also criticized the elections in Russia The European Union stated that the elections held from September 18 to 20 demonstrated a "continuing and deepening erosion of democracy" in Russia. This assessment is contained in the official EU statement. Brussels specifically noted the exclusion of candidates from the Yabloko party from participating in the elections through the federal list. In the EU's statement, this party is referred to as one of the last remaining opposition forces and the only party with an anti-war program. The EU also referred to reports from independent analysts and observers regarding the use of administrative and legal mechanisms against war opponents and the restriction of Russians' access to independent information. Furthermore, the Russian authorities did not invite OSCE observers. According to the EU's assessment, this deprived voters and Russian institutions of the opportunity to receive an independent evaluation of the conduct of the elections.
